As students begin to learn and acquire English, teachers may observe that students begin to comprehend and use conversational English (Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills-BICS) quicker than academic English (Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency-CALP). BICS relies on contextual support while CALP utilizes fewer contextual clues and requires students to use higher-level language skills such as analysis and synthesis. The graphic below provides examples of the features of BICS and CALP via the iceberg model. The iceberg model shows that while BICS is important for day-to-day communication, it is the surface level of English proficiency. Successful use of English in academic settings is dependent on CALP which has more profound and in-depth complexities, and takes longer to develop.